GOP, Dems call for probe of hundreds of pardons issued by ex-Kentucky Gov. Bevin

Former Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin pardoned 428 people -- including some violent offenders -- between Election Day last month and the end of his term Tuesday, the state Secretary of State's Office said this week, prompting calls for an investigation by state officials.

Those pardoned by Bevin included a man convicted of reckless homicide, a convicted child rapist, a man who murdered his parents at age 16, and a woman who threw her newborn in the trash after giving birth in a flea market outhouse. Bevin wrote that the woman, Kathy Harless, had “paid enough for the death of her newborn son.” Another pardon recipient, Dayton Jones, who was convicted of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy at a party. The incident was captured on video and shared to social media; the boy suffered internal injuries as a result of the attack.

In yet another case, Bevin pardoned Patrick Brian Baker, who was convicted of homicide and other crimes in a fatal 2014 home break-in. The Louisville Courier-Journal reported this week that Baker's family raised $21,500 for Bevin at a political fundraiser and Baker's brother and sister-in-law also gave $4,000 to Bevin’s campaign on the day of the fundraiser.